Through the strains of "Bela Lugosi's Dead," a
dark anthem from '80s Goth heroes Bauhaus, New York-based fashion
and beauty photographer Bill Diodato comes clean on his ideals and
visions of achievement in the potent mix of commercial and fine
art.

With his voice a dead ringer for John Cusack, Diodato has none
of the actor's trademark boy-next-door qualities. Instead, he is a
creative, sophisticated, and driven artist looking to pursue his
dreams.

Diodato, who has worked as a professional photographer for nine
years, and as a fashion/beauty shooter for the recent few years,
has already made a name for himself working with some of the
biggest clients and models in the industry.

New Tales to Tell

Diodato chose the fashion and beauty world to showcase his
stories. He explains, "It was a chance to explore my work more and
to put my ideas out there in feature stories so that I could have
bigger productions and execute my ideas." He feels that working
with people helps get the stories across, and that models, in
essence, narrate them.

Diodato's inspirations are a mix of the sublime and the banal.
He thrives on the juxtaposition of pop culture and fine art. "When
I'm taking a photograph," says Diodato, "I'm almost always bridging
a gap between popular culture and the fine art world because I have
to. And I think that's what makes my pictures a little bit
different. When I take a photograph, I'm not just thinking about
what the client wants the shoe to look like. I'm thinking about how
I see the shoe in our popular culture."

Diodato relies on Fuji film to capture most of his images
although he will shoot with whatever the client specifies. On
digital shoots he'll use a PhaseOne H10 or H20 back with his
Hasselblad 503CW or a Sinar p2. He sees digital as useful in many
areas, although not all.

"There's an efficiency level with digital and I think, for most
applications, the quality isn't tremendously off. For most magazine
reproductions, most catalog reproduction, and a lot of advertising
it's fine. There are certain detail issues that are missing
sometimes in shooting jewelry and things of that nature and at that
point I might shoot film." Film is his first love. It is his
natural creative tool and it has always served him well.

NY State of Mind

Formally trained at the Hallmark Institute of Photography in
Massachusetts, Diodato hails from Connecticut, but has found his
home in New York City.

"This is just where I need to be," he explains. "The kind of
client I want to work with is here. The way I see the world in the
sense of what I want out of life is here. I wouldn't work anywhere
else. I love it and I'm here to stay."

The point here is that Diodato has found creative energy to
match his own in the Big Apple. "The energy, the kind of people
that I'm surrounded by here, everyone that I'm associated with and
work with is extremely intelligent. They're all very inspired and
all very involved in the art world. My direct team is that way, the
stylists I work with, and the models I'm trying to get to aren't
just interested in selling the productthe shoe or the handbag or
the hat or the blouse."

Survive and Prosper

Photography is, of course, a business and things became much
tougher for everyone post 9/11. This was perhaps most dramatic in
New York City.

"A lot of photographers are out of business, some of whom are my
friends," says Diodato. "The way I was able to stay competitive was
through versatility. I shoot still life, fashion, beauty, and
product. I do a lot of different things. If I didn't at that time I
don't know how I would have fared. I had plenty of work,
client-wise. Even though my production was down about 50 percent,
we were still producing enough to survive and grow.

"I spent an enormous amount of time that yearsince I spent 50
percent less time on assignmentworking on new portfolios,
developing new ideas. I created a website with my design firm, Toda
Design, that adds a valuable dimension to my business."

Diodato is also putting out a new promotion this year, a limited
edition series consisting of 12 minibooks that fold out into
several images. The foldout is designed to show clients the
aesthetic that Diodato will bring to a campaign.